Planning to sign contracts shortly on a garden flat in Monken Hadley. Conveyancing solicitors assured me that they will have a report out to me on Monday. Are there areas in the report that I should be focusing on?

Your report on title for your leasehold conveyancing in Monken Hadley should include some of the following:

• The total extent of the demise. This will be the property itself but might incorporate a loft or basement if applicable.
• Does the lease prohibit wood flooring?
• You must be told what constitutes a Nuisance in the lease
• Ground rent - how much and when you need to pay, and also know whether this will change in the future
• You should have a good understanding of the insurance provisions
• What you can do if a neighbour breach a clause of their lease?
• What the implications are if you breach a clause of your lease?

Back In 2006, I bought a leasehold flat in Monken Hadley. Conveyancing and Aldermore mortgage went though with no issue. A letter has just been received from someone saying they have taken over the freehold. It included a ground rent demand for rent dating back to 1998. The conveyancing solicitor in Monken Hadley who previously acted has long since retired.Any advice?

First contact the Land Registry to make sure that the individual purporting to own the freehold is indeed the registered owner of the freehold reversion. It is not necessary to instruct a Monken Hadley conveyancing firm to do this as it can be done on-line for a few pound. You should note that in any event, even if this is the legitimate landlord, under the Limitation Act 1980 no more than 6 years of rent can be collected.

I am tempted by the attractive purchase price for a couple of apartments in Monken Hadley both have in the region of forty five years unexpired on the lease term. should I be concerned?

There are plenty of short leases in Monken Hadley. The lease is a legal document that entitles you to use the property for a period of time. As a lease gets shorter the value of the lease decreases and it becomes more expensive to acquire a lease extension. For this reason it is advisable to increase the term of the lease. More often than not it is difficult to sell a property with a short lease because mortgage companies may be reluctant to lend money on such properties. Lease extension can be a protracted process. We advise that you seek professional help from a conveyancer and surveyor with experience in this area

Do you have any top tips for leasehold conveyancing in Monken Hadley with the purpose of saving time on the sale process?

• Much of the delay in leasehold conveyancing in Monken Hadley can be reduced where you instruct lawyers as soon as you market your property and ask them to put together the leasehold documentation which will be required by the purchasers’ representatives.
• Many landlords or managing agents in Monken Hadley charge for providing management packs for a leasehold homes. You or your lawyers should enquire as to the fee that they propose to charge. The management information sought on or before finding a buyer, thus reducing delays. The average time it takes to obtain the necessary information is three weeks. It is the most frequent reason for delay in leasehold conveyancing in Monken Hadley.
• If you have carried out any alterations to the property would they have required Landlord’s consent? Have you, for example installed wooden flooring? Monken Hadley leases often stipulate that internal structural changes or installing wooden flooring calls for a licence issued by the Landlord acquiescing to such works. Where you fail to have the consents in place you should not contact the landlord without checking with your lawyer in the first instance.
• Some Monken Hadley leases require Landlord’s consent to the sale and approval of the buyers. If this applies to your lease, it would be prudent to place the estate agents on notice to make sure that the purchasers obtain financial (bank) and professional references. Any bank reference should make it clear that the buyer is financially capable of paying the yearly service charge and the actual amount of the service charge should be quoted in the bank’s letter. You will therefore need to provide your estate agents with the actual amount of the service charge so that they can pass this information on to the buyers or their solicitors.
• If you have the benefit of shareholding in the Management Company, you should make sure that you hold the original share document. Obtaining a replacement share certificate is often a time consuming formality and delays many a Monken Hadley conveyancing transaction. Where a new share certificate is necessary, do contact the company officers or managing agents (where relevant) for this at the earliest opportunity.

All being well we will complete the disposal of our £ 250000 apartment in Monken Hadley next Wednesday . The landlords agents has quoted £<Macro 'feeRangeWithVAT'> for Certificate of Compliance, insurance certificate and 3 years statements of service charge. Is the landlord entitled to charge exorbitant fees for a flat conveyance in Monken Hadley?

Monken Hadley conveyancing on leasehold apartments more often than not necessitates the purchaser’s conveyancer sending questions for the landlord to address. Although the landlord is under no legal obligation to address these enquiries most will be willing to assist. They may charge a reasonable charge for answering questions or supplying documentation. There is no upper cap for such fees. The average costs for the information that you are referring to is over three hundred pounds, in some cases it is above £800. The management information fee levied by the landlord must be accompanied by a summary of rights and obligations in relation to administration fees, without which the invoice is not strictly payable. In reality you have no choice but to pay whatever is demanded should you wish to exchange contracts with the buyer.

I have tried to negotiate informally with with my landlord for a lease extension without any joy. Can a leaseholder make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal? Can you recommend a Monken Hadley conveyancing firm to act on my behalf?

if there is a absentee freeholder or where there is disagreement about the premium for a lease extension, under the relevant statutes it is possible to make an application to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal to arrive at the sum to be paid.

An example of a Lease Extension matter before the tribunal for a Monken Hadley residence is Flat 2 2 Netherfield Road in April 2010. The Tribunale held that premium payable for a 90 year extension to the existing Lease should be £7,705. This case affected 1 flat. The the unexpired term as at the valuation date was 76 years.

I bought a 2 bed flat in Monken Hadley, conveyancing having been completed 4 years ago. How much will my lease extension cost? Comparable flats in Monken Hadley with over 90 years remaining are worth £260,000. The average or mid-range amount of ground rent is £65 per annum. The lease terminates on 21st October 2094

With only 68 years remaining on your lease we estimate the premium for your lease extension to be between £11,400 and £13,200 as well as plus your own and the landlord's "reasonable" professional fees.

The suggested premium range above a general guide to costs for extending a lease, but we are not able to advice on the actual costs in the absence of detailed investigations. Do not use this information in a Notice of Claim or as an informal offer. There may be other issues that need to be taken into account and clearly you want to be as accurate as possible in your negotiations. You should not move forward based on this information without first getting professional advice.